H-Cap Race #1

The following is a race report from the Handicap Race, where everyone set their weight = FTP/3.2, to make the race more equal.

Written by Will Usher 

The numbers out tonight were a staggering 143 sign-ups. It meant a good position on the start line was important but more than that tactics would be more relevant than ever. Choosing when to conserve energy and when to attack would be everything. I briefed my guys as follows: For lighter riders with fewer watts for the flats, Tactics: Hill Maximal, break the big engines, Flats Alliance & Recover. Bigger riders with typically more watts, Tactics: Hill Maximal, Flats crush the will of the lighter riders with power surges to break them before the climbs. Why such a spread of tactics, well this is quite a different course to previous weeks.

Out the gate, it was predictably fast but the aim was not to go too crazy as within 2km of this 2 lap race you were into a serious climb and those trying to recover from the initial sprint could easily get spat out the back. The hill was only 600m in length but the first half was around 10% and the second half an eye-watering, leg splitting 12-20%! Indeed some riders fell into the trap of going off the start too hard and were left howling in dismay as the road pitched out to its steepest gradients. However, there were a handful of riders that went all-in on this first climb, S. Ludlow and J. Fielding amongst them. There were others but I couldn’t really see straight as my HR went to 197bpm 3.30min into the race on that hill to keep myself in the top 10.

Over the top of the hill, there was a position to be gained by continuing to work hard as the road actually plateaued hard before dropping down again. Anyone who thought it was over as they got over the wall-like summit had a nasty shock. The descent allowed RGT’s physics to be played out with those paying attention to the cornering and coming off the power able to gain road position. The bunch was though despite the numbers fragmented. Imaginary bungee cords were lassoed around rivals, now allies, seat posts. The air thick with telepathic waves of riders praying they could stay with a group rather than be left on the long false flat to be picked at by the pack of wolves chasing behind. Now, if you had the chance, it was time to recover.

We hit the next climb which took us up to the trails on top of the North Downs Way at 7.3km. Heart rates already stretching their monitors we surged into the base of the climb, cranks bending under the pressure of the demand for watts as we once again hit double figures on the pitch. For those that had looked at the profile, it was clear that this was a prime attacking spot with another more sensible hill to follow immediately afterward, the opportunity for a decisive move felt tangible. I was holding over 400W for way too long and remember thinking to myself the end might be near despite only being 8km into a 27km race. My group broke apart leaving M. White and I isolated so we sat up to recover along the extended flats before Lap 2.

Out front, there was some excellent racing going on and a group of 4 from what I could see were working well together. As the chasing pack, we were all a bit shell shocked, content to find a wheel and sit there for a bit, mostly in fear of what we now knew was to come.

As we began the first hill for the second time the explosions were heard in Guildford. This was such a key moment. The messages from the legs now in BLOCK CAPS telling us to give in, as for the CV system it’s probably best not repeated in polite company…

The group out front continued to stay away with some phenomenal riding whilst the elastic in our chase group started to snap on the second and third hills until we were only three riders. That was until an incredible bridge from J. Fielding. We settled into the finish watching on Discord as C. Bankras organized his group enough to stay away and stay away they did with C. Bankras ultimately taking the win.

Congratulations to the podium:

1st C. Bankras

2nd L.L.

3rd J. Sammut

DQ J. Van Spitael just too much over the threshold at 3.8W/kg riding at the equivalent of 118% of his threshold - Zone 5 for the duration even with the shorter race tonight. There were a couple of others very close so we may need to bring the threshold down further particularly for those experienced racers.

Prix de la combativité:

Whilst of course important one of the most interesting parts of this race is the other stories from the bunch. There were once again some outstanding performances and this week many nominations for the Prix de la combativité.

As always this was going to be a hard call. Riders had adapted well to the different types of courses and applied their strengths to the best of their abilities.

Nici Cahusac - Fought like a monster tonight throughout the ride despite coming in with no warm-up after doing the shopping!!

Chris Bankras - An outstanding race. Bridged at exactly the right time and had the watts and the ambition to see it through for the win.

Katy Warren - A huge FTP increase and some gritty determination.

Tarsh Wendt - Perseverance in the face of adversity. That is what it is all about.

Bev Usher - At nearly 79 years old the power his refusal to give up right to the end with some huge power surges to try and close it down.

John Fielding - This was a course that would mean a rider like John would have to turn himself inside out on the hills to be in contention. He blew the race apart in the early minutes and continued to attack, bridge, and ultimately sprint himself into his best-ever finish position with an enormous increase in FTP.

The winner: John Fielding.